Woodland Nymph
by AberrantScript
Summary: Three years after Lynn left to become a knight, Linka finally receives a letter announcing his imminent return to her. But on her way home, things go awry, and a mysterious man steps in to help her. Why is this man so familiar, and why is he so handsome?


**Author's Notes:**

Today makes two years I've been posting stories for this fandom. It almost slipped past me, heh. I won't be posting as often as I was for a little while. I'm dealing with a lot of real life stuff that's making things pretty hard. I'm also thinking about taking a break from TLH content and writing some Legend of Zelda (BotW) stories. I've recently gotten back into that game and I'm really loving Zelda a lot. Anyway, I hope you all are doing well. No matter where this next year takes us, I hope you all enjoy it. :)

I started writing this story last summer and finally finished it. I really wish I'd stop losing motivation on stories. Ugh. Anyway, I'm not sure what will be next, but I hope to post something this weekend at least. And I eternally suck at titles.

Disclaimer: _The Loud House _Copyright Nickelodeon (2019)

* * *

WOODLAND NYMPH

Linka was busy strolling down the olde marketplace. Stopping at the occasional stall to talk with a friend, or to buy the odd bit of food or material she needed at home.

She had a nice bounce to her step, that made the few brass coins in her pocket jingle with a merry tune.

She had a wide smile on her face as she clutched a letter in her hand.

Her brother, her Lynn, was finally coming home from his service in the war.

She did a twirl in the middle of the olden brick roadway, her ankle-length plain dress fluttering around her in a blur of orange and tan.

She nearly got run over by a horse-drawn carriage; she hopped out of the way just in time! As the driver cursed her for her insanity.

Today was a great day! And she was expecting her brother at any hour.

She'd kept that letter with her every moment for the past two weeks; when she'd received it from the postman.

At night, it laid beside her in bed, and she cuddled up near it; clutching onto his memory stronger than ever.

It had been three years since he was drafted as a foot soldier.

And since then, he'd shown enough promise to become a squire.

Linka knew he wasn't a technical knight yet; but that didn't stop her from proudly telling every villager in town that her brother was going to be their very first knight!

She was so proud of him. But it was incredibly hard, too. She only had Lynn. And he only had her.

She was forced to make a living by becoming an apprentice to the local seamstress. And while the pay was decent, and it allowed her to maintain their meager home... it didn't cure the loneliness she felt in her breast.

When times grew rough, Linka had to start selling things. Like their parents' belongings.

Fortunately, she was able to keep two heirlooms. Her mother's wedding band, which she wore on her finger. And her father's dagger, which she kept strapped to her leg, under her dress.

But things weren't all that grim.

Most days were filled with laughter and hope. And when the sun arose every morning, Linka rose up from her bed to join it. And she looked out their window toward the highway; waiting for the day her brother would come back to her.

That's why she wouldn't stop smiling now. It's why she couldn't stop blabbering on and on about how proud she was of Lynn and his training. It's why she carried his letter with her everywhere she went.

Lynn was coming home to her.

He was coming home _today._

She continued down the marketplace, and turned off onto another road. She was heading home, with a basketful of vegetables and fish. She was going to make sure her knight-in-training was treated like a king when he arrived.

She hummed a merry tune as she began skipping down the old dirt lane.

The townhouses gave way to fenced cottages. And trees began springing up alongside the roadway ahead.

She wasn't afraid. She'd lived here her entire life. And besides, she had her father's dagger with her!

And, maybe, once Lynn came home to her, he'd be able to train her on how to use it~

She came across a bend, and she paused for a short break. She only had a shallow river to cross, and a small hill to climb, and then their parents' cottage would be within sight.

As she leaned against the tree, she heard a noise in the brush on the other side of the road.

At first, she assumed it was a deer, and she was already preparing to greet it.

Then, she saw two heads poke through it, followed by two masculine torsos covered in black leather. Twin swords shimmered into view, as her eyes grew wide and her heart skipped and sputtered.

"_Hand over everything you've got, maid, or we'll slit your throat and take it,_" snarled the first man; clearly the older one, with a ragged scar running down his neck.

The second man, shorter by a few inches, and bowing in submission to his partner, wet his chapped lips as he looked at her... _really_ looked at her.

"_And when we say everything, miss, we do mean..._ everything," said the gristly voice of the shorter man.

Their swords were already drawn, training on her.

They were walking toward her, and she was frozen in fear.

She squeezed the letter in her hand... and it gave her courage.

She dropped the basket and ran!

She turned her head around, and they had already gained half the distance she'd made in her burst of sprinting.

She had to think quick!

She darted into a side lane, shrouded by an overgrown hedge, and she took advantage of her small, nimble body to weave her way through the thick foliage.

But their swords were whacking away at it like it was parchment...

Her advantage would only last a few seconds longer, but she was out of ideas.

Panting, feeling a stitch in her side, she ran as far as she could go...

Only to come face to face with a rocky wall.

There were no footholds safe enough to grab onto.

She turned around, to look for another way.

But the men were already entering the small crevice she'd found.

They parted and began circling her...

Her butt pressed against rock as she looked at them.

She grabbed the coins in her pocket and tossed them away.

"_There! P-please, let me be!_"

But they didn't want her money anymore.

They crept closer...

She drew a ragged breath, and squeezed her brother's letter again.

Lynn wouldn't lay down and let a man abuse him without a fight.

She wanted to see him with everything she had... but she also wanted to make him proud. She wanted to maintain her dignity. She wanted... to be like her brother.

She lifted her dress upward, and the second man whistled.

_"_Damn, you're giving up so easily. And here I expected a fight out of you."

He put his sword away, and walked toward her at a faster pace.

His hands were outstretched.

Her heart beat loudly in her ears as her hand crept down to her knee.

She'd only get one shot at this...

"_Why don't you get on your knees for me, like the good little bitch you are~_"

She looked at the smile on his face, his rotting teeth. She could smell him; like old bile that'd never been washed.

Her eyes fell on his neck.

"_Come on. Be a good maid and listen to me..._"

He was only a few feet away.

She didn't know where the other man was... she was only focusing on this one, on his neck.

In an instant, the world froze around her as she took one deep breath to steady her nerves.

He was talking, but she didn't hear it.

Her hand slipped up her dress and yanked the dagger from its sheath.

His eyes widened as she stepped forward.

His hands went up to grab her, but she twisted inside his embrace, pressing into his chest.

She could see the fear in his eyes; could feel the warm blood splatter on her cheek... as she pushed her hand into his vulnerable throat with all the force she could manage.

She could see him in his eyes, and the sight made her skin crawl.

She yanked her weapon out, not caring that blood was dripping down her arm, staining the sleeve of her dress.

"_You bitch!_"

She turned and screamed as a sword came down toward her head!

She raised the dagger up... and just in time, the sword smashed into it, glancing off to the side.

Her arm seized up in stiff pain under the sheer ferocity of his swing.

And before she was ready, he leveled his arms for a horizontal slash...!

She couldn't command the arm strength to raise her dagger again. So, she ducked, feeling the wind of his weapon slice across her hair with startling speed.

"_Hold still, pup, and let me carve you up into little pieces,_" he growled as he lifted his arms into the air.

She looked at his weapon; her heart skipping a beat!

He tensed his arms as he grinned an evil smile. He used all his might to bring that sword down, intent on cleaving her body in two...

She jumped to the side, smacking into the wall. Her head bounced into a sharp rock, and she felt warm... she felt dizzy...

She turned to look at him, and he was already lifting his weapon up again.

Neither heard the footsteps approaching...

He grabbed her by the throat, and lifted her until her feet were off the ground.

The dagger clattered beside the man's feet.

The man laid his sword against her neck, and blew his stale, putrid breath into her face.

"_When you get to Hell, say hi to my brother for me._"

"How about you say hi to him yourself," replied a stranger from behind.

The man turned around, lowering his sword in surprise.

Only to see stars as a leather-bound fist smashed into his face, knocking him away from his prey.

Linka fell to her feet and gasped for breath.

"Are you alright?" her savior asked, as he moved his hands toward her.

But, she flinched away. Staring at him in fear...

She turned toward the highway bandit, and yelled, "_Look out!_"

The man blinked and turned, only to fall back as the attacker's fist smashed into his jaw.

The stranger fell into the rocky wall, but quickly got back up.

A sheath was on his side. He drew his sword, and glared at the bandit with cold, calculating steeliness.

Linka held her breath as she contrasted the two men.

Both with swords; both in leather armor.

One moving in random footsteps, and holding his sword in both hands with savage swings.

One moving in a calm precision that bespoke discipline and training, holding his sword in one hand as he gauged his opponent's abilities.

"_You should have stayed on the highway, welp._"

The stranger held his ground, even as his jaw bruised and bled.

"_And you should have left this woman alone._"

Linka blinked.

She was only fourteen. Barely old enough to be a maid. He thought she looked like a woman?

A pink hue covered her cheeks as she began to look closer at this man in front of her. Admiring his chest, and his arms, and his face.

His voice sounded so familiar to her, yet so different. His face was the same way. She admired it. She called it handsome in her private thoughts. He looked like someone she'd known for a long time, but so different she couldn't remember who.

She held her breath, as the attacker took several heavy steps forward.

The stranger waited for his opponent to make the next move.

And the black leather'd man wasted no time in bringing his arms up into the air, raising his sword toward the sky.

The stranger darted to the side as the sword came down...

But the bandit had an evil grin on his face, a dark chuckle on his lips, as he twisted his torso and re-directed his swing with all his strength...

Curving downward, and then upward, like a farmer using a scythe, the stranger couldn't lift his sword in time!

He jumped backward, but the tip of the enemy's sword grazed his leg.

Linka gasped as her savior hissed in pain. Her eyes watered as fresh blood ran down his legs in a tiny stream.

She watched as they moved and danced in a savage, deadly ballad.

Her eyes dared to drop to the ground...

She saw her bloody dagger. She picked it up in shaking hands.

Her brother's letter was still in her hand. She gave it a squeeze.

Her eyes grew cold and menacing as she stepped forward...

The stranger hissed as his leg developed a slight limp. He'd been fighting this guy for a minute straight, with no let up. And while he hadn't been tagged since the first encounter, he was still slowly bleeding out...

Fortunately, the bandit's attack pattern consisted of vertical, horizontal, and vertical-followed-by-horizontal slashes that were incredibly predictable; but he moved with such savage speed, it was too dangerous to get close to him.

He needed an advantage, a window of opportunity to finish this fight and save the-

Suddenly, the black leather'd man howled in rage, and the stranger's eyes widened...

The maid was backing away from the bandit. He had turned around, and a little dagger was pressed into his ass.

Unfortunately, the man had plenty of armor to spare on his derrière.

His eyes hurriedly locked onto the man's armor, searching for a weak spot.

His armor was thin under his arms...

He waited for the inevitable-

The bandit screeched as he raised his arms into the air...!

The maid fell over a tree root, and had her arm raised up as a fleshy shield...!

_Perfect._

The stranger lunged forward and drove his sword under the man's arm, cutting between his ribs... into his vulnerable body. He jerked it back, and watched as the man fell to his knees... falling onto his side.

He walked over and gazed down upon his opponent.

He was dead.

Suddenly, the maid was standing beside him.

And he watched, bemused, as she pulled her leg back and swung forward... smashing her toes into that man's face, and screaming in agony.

"_DASH IT ALL!_"

She bounced on one leg as she held onto her injured foot; all while her savior watched in silent amusement.

"You know, miss, you remind me of my sister."

The girl paused and looked at him.

Her cheeks blushed, but her eyes crinkled in confusion.

What kind of pick up line was that?

"She's prone to getting into trouble just like yourself."

He leaned toward her, flashing a cocky grin.

And her eyes narrowed, and she turned away from him.

The magic charm he'd cast over her was gone the very second his roguish attitude made itself known.

"Thank you for saving me, kind sir. But I will have you know that I _do not_ get into trouble."

She sniffed as she started down the road, leaving him behind.

"Oh, don't be like that. I didn't mean any-" he hissed and leaned against a tree.

At first, she wanted to leave him there in his pain and misery. But he _did_ save her... and he _did_ sound pretty bad... and _gosh_ that was a lot of red staining his breeches.

She sighed and came back to him. She wordlessly knelt down and put her hands on his legs.

He grew silent and still as she lifted the fabric out of his boot, and tugged it up to his thigh.

Unbeknownst to her, he was now sporting a pinkish hue on his cheeks.

She frowned as she inspected his cut. It was shallow, but long.

She put her hands on the hem of her dress.

"What are you doing?" he asked of her.

She tore off a strip of her dress and focused on his wound.

"Saving your life."

He grinned as her fingers touched around his leg.

"You know... I will owe you a life debt if you don't just let me die..."

She rolled her eyes and pinched his leg. His little yelp felt satisfying to her ears.

She stood up and put her hands on her hips.

Giving him her own cocky grin, she spoke.

"Consider us even, sir. Now, can you walk?"

He looked down at his bandaged leg, and took a breath.

He put his leg forward; it felt tingly and weak...

He put his weight on it, and pain shot up his back. He started tipping forward... he couldn't keep his weight steady!

She put her arms on his shoulders to keep him from falling.

"What are we going to do with you?" she sighed.

"You could always carry me to your castle, fair princess~" he smirked.

She glared at him.

"Yeah, or the wolves could carry you back to their den."

He whistled.

"Touche."

She grabbed his arm and put it around her shoulders. She stared right into his eyes, like she was trying to burn a hole through his head.

"_Don't you dare do anything inappropriate, or I'll let you fall in a ditch and I'll leave you there._"

He smirked.

"I promise I won't, on my honor as a squire."

She scoffed, but then paused; and gasped; and shoved him against the tree to go looking on the ground...

She came back, holding a letter to her breast.

His eyes followed it, and then kinda stayed... and then kinda admired the view.

Come on! He was only human after all...

"May I ask what you have there, princess?"

She glared at him, stuck out her tongue. But she was growing used to him.

"A letter from my brother."

He looked into her eyes, and marveled at how bright they were as she spoke to him.

"He's coming home today!"

He blinked his eyes.

"I haven't seen him in three years."

_Three... years?_

"I've missed him so much!"

She hugged her letter again, and his eyes followed the movement... before darting away in guilty shame.

"You... you sound like you really love him, huh?" he forced out.

She twirled around, feeling the magic of his expected return pouring happiness back into her body.

"I do! He's all I have left! I just... hope he misses me, too."

He leaned against the tree, watching her dance across the road like her brother was her partner. Her imperfections, her torn and bloody dress, her sweaty face glowing under the sunlight spilling through the trees.

She was more beautiful than he remembered. But so, so different.

The little girl he left behind had round pudgy cheeks, and was a tiny thing.

This girl... was a woman. Still growing, obviously, but defined... and strong.

She came back over to him and put his arm on her shoulders. And she hefted his weight like it was nothing to her.

He could hear her panting, but she didn't stop or slow down. He was impressed.

This girl was fourteen, but to call her a girl would be unfair.

He leaned into her, and tried his best to smell her hair without being a complete freak about it...

And he sighed as he breathed in that flowery scent he remembered in his dreams on foreign battlefields. A special lather their mother taught her how to make from lye and lavender bunches.

They crossed over a hill, and he could tell she was straining. But she wouldn't give in.

His heart warmed in admiration.

But she'd give out before they made it to their destination.

So, he grumbled and grabbed his leg.

"Can we sit for a minute? My leg is hurting too much to go on another step."

He whined as she scoffed. He was totally exaggerating it. And she could tell... but not for the reason he expected.

Turning to glare at him... her cheeks surprisingly blushed.

"You just want me to put my hands on you, sir. But I'll tell you this-"

She put her finger into the man's very shocked, red face.

"-I am no easy conquest."

His mind ground to a halt. All of his earlier thought about her womanliness, her strength, and even her endearing personality that he'd missed so much came rushing back to him.

She actually thought he was trying to seduce her.

He blinked as even his very brain began to flush with... imaginations.

He wondered what would happen if he _did_ try to woo her...

"You misunderstand me, princess. My leg just needs a rest, and then we can be on our way."

She leaned forward, arching her back just a little... drawing his eyes across her developing curves for a few moments as she opened her lips to reply.

"So would you tell me no if I offered to touch you?"

His eyes widened. His breathing stuttered.

Well, _that_ was a loaded question.

He could tell by the way her ears were burning red that she finally realized how suggestive her words were... but she didn't back down from them.

She was looking at his eyes... looking into them... searching him.

He was struck with how sincere she was making herself... to a complete stranger no less.

Maybe it was the bond they'd shared by saving each other's lives. Maybe it was the three years of loneliness and longing they'd felt with her brother's absence...

But he gulped and adjusted his seat on the grass as she stood over him.

Her hair was fluttering in the wind.

She was beautiful. She was wonderful.

She'd make someone a perfect wife someday.

When he first saw her... he had to save her. He felt an urge to protect her. She was comely and terrified. And he felt it as his duty to save her life.

But as he stuck around her... as she bandaged him up and went toe to toe with his sassy comments, he actually truly admired her.

She shook her head and looked up at his face.

"You're a squire, too?"

He blinked, and nodded the affirmative.

So, she looked back down and admired his hands with a new fondness.

"My brother's hands would look like this, then. They'd feel like this…"

She became lost in the moment. She drifted closer to it. She pressed her cheek to the palm and sighed as she closed her eyes.

Her brother was holding her cheek, and suddenly she felt all the safety in the world swirling around her like an impenetrable storm.

And then she came back to reality with a burst of eyelids and a hurried departure from his hand.

She softly apologized to him, giving back his hand. She stared into a little patch of browning grass as her embarrassment flared up.

He chuckled, and reassured her that it was ok.

And the noise struck her as a source of comfort.

She couldn't figure out why… but it reminded her of Lynn.

She really missed him…

The man saw her beginning to frown, and he reached his hand out toward her again. He touched her cheek.

"Hey. What's wrong?"

Linka sighed and turned her eyes back onto him. She pressed her cheek deeper into his palm.

"I really miss my brother."

He felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't even begin to describe what that was…

At this point he could do a variety of things. He could be honest and reveal himself. Or…

He looked at the sheer love in her eyes as she spoke about her brother. He remembered the way she had stood up for herself and tried to come to his aid. He thought of the way she felt as she held him up and pushed him to keep walking forward.

His cheeks flushed as he gazed upon her beauty.

Sister or not, she would make someone a good wife one day.

It was only a matter of time before some strange man strolled by and saw how wonderfully perfect she was… and he'd snatch her up.

His days of being with her were coming to an end. And he'd already lost three years of that precious time.

Yeah… he could reveal himself now.

Or he could give himself a chance at a different path toward the future.

In his heart, he didn't like leaving her emotions without relief. But in his mind, in some place that was an interesting mix of selflessness and uttermost selfish desire, he knew this was the best thing to do.

"Hey," he smiled at her. "Why don't you let me cheer you up while you wait on him to return to you?"

Her sad cheeks twitched, and soon a tiny smile appeared on her face.

"Right, I would offer to take your hand-"

Linka blushed, her heart pitter-pattering, half-expecting him to finish with "in marriage."

"-for a dance, but I'm currently unable to even stand on my own. So, mayhaps my hand would suffice for your amusement? Do as you see fit, milady."

The young maid blinked, and then took his proffered hand between hers.

"I am to dance… with just your hand?"

The strange squire smiled up at her.

"If my princess so chooses."

Linka blushed, but she smiled and stepped back. She tipped her body forward and gave him a curtsy.

"I accept your proposal, Sir Knight."

Now, it was his turn to have his cheeks dusted pink.

The maiden took his hand between hers and she stepped lightly across the grass, rounding the man as she hummed a little tune.

Her eyes closed as she tipped her head back and picked up her speed. She never twisted him 'round; she'd go a few steps one way, twirl and return in the opposite direction.

It was ludicrous to do something so silly. Her neighbors would think a witch had hexed her if they'd look across the rolling fields in that moment!

But she loved it. How silly it was. How free she felt. She loved how he was smiling, how he laughed in merriment.

Linka dropped his hand and offered hers.

"Would the kind and courageous… and dashing-" she blushed, "-Knight take my hand for a dance?"

"I would, my princess, but my leg was wounded while saving a beautiful woodland nymph from harm-" Linka _really_ blushed, "I'm afraid I would be a rather poor partner. I might possibly even fall down if I try."

Blushing madly, the snowy haired woodland nymph took both his hands in hers and helped him to his feet.

"D-don't worry, Sir," she looked into his eyes, "I won't let you fall down."

His cheeks blushed.

Since when had his sister become so romantic, so confident and sure?

He laid a hand on her hip.

She rested her palm on his shoulder.

Their other hands circled around each other's backs, holding them close together.

He took a step and faltered, and she held him tighter, making sure he wouldn't fall.

She took the next step, and he followed.

They circled across the grass, going slow and steady. Because Linka was already so close to him, and her curiosity was getting the best of her, she laid her head on his chest. This man stood nearly a whole head taller than her, and she fit perfectly in the crook of his neck. Just like she used to with her brother.

Linka sighed.

"What's the matter?" her rescuer asked.

"My brother should have returned by now. I worry for him."

"Oh, don't fret much, little nymph," he delighted in her blush, "I am sure he must be passing through Sir Grouse's common pastures as we speak."

Linka nodded against his chest, but then she began to think. Her eyes widened in surprise, and then closed in thought.

Only a native would know who owned that land; much less that one must pass through it to journey from their tiny village to the nearest castle.

And yet, Linka had never met this man before.

Or had she?

Her eyes opened and she gazed upon his work tunic.

Tiny details about him struck her memory, like flashes from her past… Remnants of her brother.

Lynn was supposed to return today. He would return a squire. A swordsman. A man.

She sighed and held him tighter; almost completely sure right then that he was her beloved brother, her last living relative in the world.

But she held her tongue.

Because she couldn't figure out why he didn't tell her… and why he was wooing her.

Did he not know who she was? The young maid with snow white hair? Her mother used to say she was touched by an angel at birth, and that was why she bore pure, innocent hair.

There's no way he could mistake her.

And, she didn't believe he was playing a trick on her. He was holding her tightly, lovingly; like a lover holds his wife.

Linka pulled away and looked into his eyes.

He looked down at her, and she was convinced that he was earnestly trying to seduce her.

Had he felt this for her all her life?

Or had their years-long separation made his love blossom into something stronger, more passionate?

He interrupted her, "Do I have something on my face, milady?"

She blushed so madly, but her own eyes twinkled.

Linka knew his secret now, and it was time to join his game.

"Yes," she breathed, putting her toes on his leather boots and lifting her face toward his, "You have something right here."

She pressed her lips to his.

At first he was frozen, and she worried she had pushed too far. But then he leaned into her kiss, and held her tighter. She moaned into his lips as his arms squeezed her. He groaned as her softness pressed into him from his lips to his feet.

She pulled away and laid her head in his neck, giving his skin a kiss.

"Welcome home, Lynn."

She felt him gulp.

"Y-you knew it was me?"

His heart was racing much faster under her ear.

"I just figured it out."

She gave him time to process what she'd just revealed, and in the meantime she resumed their dance. The two circled across the grass, so intimate and close nothing would pull them apart.

"Why did you kiss me?"

Finally, she stopped and looked into his eyes again.

"Because, yes."

He blinked.

"Yes?"

She blushed, but nodded, grasping his hands in hers.

"Yes, I will marry you, Lynn."

His face looked so beautiful as it burned like a roaring fire.

"I-I…"

She gave him a sly smile.

"You kissed me, Lynn, now you _have _to make an honest woman out of me."

He sputtered, but stopped when he heard her giggling. She poked his chest and held him tight.

"Don't be so serious. We're only talking about marriage," she stroked his chest, "love," she stood on his feet again, "family."

She searched his eyes; she felt his heart hammering through his tunic, under her hands.

"My answer is yes."

Lynn dry swallowed, his hands going all sweaty.

It amused Linka how her brother always used to get so nervous about sharing his emotions, being vulnerable.

"W-what makes you think I want to marry you?"

She pressed her body into his; all of her body, from top to bottom.

"What makes you think you don't?"

She felt his gulp; he nearly choked.

"I-I thought you wasn't an easy conquest…?"

She finally pulled away from him. Her body felt cold without his warmth, but she stayed close enough to support him in case his leg gave out again.

"I'm not, dear brother."

She looked at his sword strapped to his side. She looked at the embroidered symbol on his tunic; a symbol of his service as a squire. She looked at his rugged hands and his rough face. So many marks and scars scattered everywhere. All of them proof of his hardship and his victory.

Linka smiled as she knelt in the grass and plucked a few wildflowers. She threaded them together into two little rings.

The young girl stood up and held her brother hand in one palm. She slipped a ring onto his third finger.

"I saved myself for a man that would protect and love me. That would be strong and courageous."

She gave him the other ring, and then presented her fingers to him.

"You're that man, Lynn. But, the real question is if I'm your woman."

Lynn looked at that little flowery ring, with purple and blue and yellow blooms glowing all around it. He gazed into his young sister's eyes; seeing how vulnerable and sincere she was delivering her speech.

He held her hand in his palm and he slipped the ring onto her third finger. The young man became emotional, and he choked. Linka was crying as he tried to get out the words she truly deserved to hear.

Something moving and inspirational, deep and spiritual. But all he could get out was the one that counted most of all.

"_Y-yes!_"

And she jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him. His leg gave out and he fell down onto the blanket of grass behind them; neither caring too much as they held each other and gave tears of joy at their reunion, their rekindled love, and the start of something wondrous between a young man and woman.


End file.
